Brattleboro teen cares for children in Rwanda

If you heard a rumble in the distance this spring, it could have been the sound of students at Northfield Mount Hermon School (NMH), Northfield, Mass., rolling up their sleeves all across the campus and shifting in to high gear for “Wipe a Tear: Rwanda!” These were students ignited by the love of God, reaching a long arm from their cozy Friday night Christian gathering to the tiny houses of children, who are struggling to survive without parents in Rwanda.

Trace the thread of “Wipe a Tear” back to its beginning and you meet Britt Lilienthal, 16, a member of Trinity, Brattleboro, Vt., at the ELCA’s Global Mission Event (GME) in August 2006 at the Amherst Campus of the University of Massachusetts. Several members of Trinity, including Britt and her parents, attended the GME at the urging of Pr. James Knowles. Britt joined her parents at sessions on colleges and the Heifer Project, but another that she chose on her own was called "Living with Slim", about children in Africa living with HIV/AIDS.  Britt’s heart broke as she watched interviews with children crushed in spirit and struggling to survive in Africa. They were made orphans by HIV/AIDS, the disease they call “Slim.”

Britt, an NMH junior, was overwhelmed with the thought, “That could have been me. How did I end up in such privilege?”

“When I got home,” she said, “I began brain storming ways to make a difference. Sometimes we (teenagers) feel as though our voices are not heard. But this time I wanted my voice to be heard, and I wanted it to be heard for those kids with HIV/AIDS whose voices are never heard. I decided to take my ideas to our NMH Youth Group.”

The youth group leaders agreed. It was time to collect the energy, talent and love of God in Christ they’d experienced on Friday nights and invest it where kids were suffering. “Wipe a Tear: Rwanda” was born.

For this work, the students partnered with CHABHA (Children Affected by HIV/AIDS). Susanna Grannis, an NMH alum and CHABHA’s founder, met with the youth group leaders and described the children served by CHABHA: children in child-headed households, in foster care or with sick parents. These are the children that “Wipe a Tear” will reach. For every $2,000 raised, 30 teens will get vocational training to secure jobs in posts such as hotel workers, beauticians, auto mechanics and seamstresses for starters. Then they can support their younger siblings and hold the family together. All administrative costs are paid by CHABHA’s board of directors.

In nine weeks last spring, the students were more successful than they ever dreamed possible, raising more than $25,000 for CHABHA. They followed good advice:  'When you work like it is all up to you and pray like it is all up to God, amazing things can happen'!! 

If you would like to partner with the NMH students, make your check payable to CHABHA and send to:

Britt Lilienthal

Wipe a Tear: Rwanda

Northfield Mount Hermon School
PO Box 5051

Mount Hermon, MA 01354-5051

For more information on CHABHA visit their Web site, www.chabha.org.